Aroma Land

I am living at home, in the home that I make so I guess I am more or less in charge of the smells hovering around here. Now what would those be? Freshly baked goodies….uplifting blossoms ….. I wish ...
I would love an air freshener that would create an aroma of chocolate cake or cookies just baking in the oven. That is the air I want at home…something naturally mouthwatering…something that triggers an appetite. I want my home to smell delicious. That would generate an image of me as a supreme cook which I really am not much. Whining from my elder son pushes me into any little baking I do. The faces I see on my dinner table make me want a magic wand that would transform sad little faces into those bursting with eagerness to devour veggies. A magic aroma creator! From the Aroma land where all magical smells put you under a spell!

Nostalgic memories of my mother’s chocolate cakes put me in a dilemma. The whole process of all those yummy treats being made. It was pure excitement, peeking over the kitchen door to check if they were ready, licking the bowls in which she made the mix. I guess I am still not qualified to be an adult as I pine for those little relishes.

Then there were those flowers from the garden…roses and jasmine and so forth. What fragrances will my home have? How can you smell love and warmth? Are all moms expected to dish out delicacies to prove love and affection? I am not a bad cook, just someone who loves food but can’t be bothered with all the planning and measuring and the patient preparation. I can put myself up for the rigorous trial once in a while and that too because I do love them infinitely to over come my own natural inclinations.

I remember the smell of the hair oil my mother prepared. She put tulsi leaves and flowers (maybe there were more ingredients) into coconut oil and heated it gently. While it was still warm she massaged it onto our hair. It was a gossip time, an all girls event. The coconut oil was also home made….mill made…we dried the coconuts on the terrace and sent it off to the mill for grinding. All so natural and still very common in most home in Kerala.

Aahh the air of Kerala! The smells near the sea..I mean the actual smells of fresh fish in baskets which line all the markets. All the boats near the sea loaded with fish. When you are driving by the market or the bridge over the sea you get a noseful and you realize the sea is just a whiff away. Not a fragrant image but it is a very dear smell to me. Driving to my father’s home to visit grandparents and cousins, the first smells of fish and sea bore the message that we were getting nearer. The golden beaches laced with coconut trees and wooden boats used by local fishermen. The vast fishing nets drying or mending, sprawled across the sand. The distinct odor of brine.

The sand never left your clothes. It hid in the pockets of jeans and shirts. For days after the vacation we would still have a piece of the beach.

Just when the school was ready to open doors after the summer siesta, the rain dance began as if on cue. We always walked drenched to school. Enjoying our new umbrellas and splashing in the puddles. As a parent now I can imagine what my parents would have felt about our frolicking in the monsoons. 

That is a dear memory…the smell of the first rain drops kissing the parched earth. Losing itself into the thirst of the ground. There was a stab of pain in it. Always reminded the holidays were over. Time was leaping ahead into the next school year. Few apprehensions. New faces. New wars. Even now when the first rain falls I feel all melancholic. As though the curtain has fallen on some great event.

Can those smells be captured in a can? Mood creators? Customize your room’s air according to the mood setting you desire. That is something I should do. Try to get everyone's nose tuned for goodness. I use air fresheners mostly to hide the odors at home.. the puke vapors of my son….the traces of the potty accident of my toddler.  

One day my husband and his friend were having a little Bacardi blast of their own…me and little ones were enjoying their jokes and sipping away the Pepsi and digging into the KFC delights when rang the door bell. We were all in the terrace and I swayed down to the front door humming like a pretend drunk. Bless the peep hole inventor…I see our parish vicar with a divine radiance. He wanted to maybe a share an evening with his most beloved sheep and lambs. If only he saw the wolves within….

I knew that we could just shut the terrace door and chew on some breath fresheners but the air was heavy with the Bacardi breeze. I ran on tip toes to the washroom and retrieved some jasmine air freshener gifted by some relative living in Dubai. By the time I opened the door, we were all coughing and gasping for oxygen. Needless to say Father Joseph choked too. The air had some rich jasmine scent but very little oxygen.  You couldn't say it freshened the air in the least. Yes, it disguised the air and yes it proved without any trace of doubt that the air was indeed disguised.

Though Father Jospeh was quite gracious as a guest I am sure he used this incident to enthrall his audience during Sunday sermons on how he stumbled upon some wicked wolves in sheepskin dipped in jasmine perfume.

A room freshener should revive the air, give you a positive charge up. It should transform the depressive fog into frivolous zephyr.

I wish I had AmbiPur Sandalwood on that day of crime and camouflage.Sandalwood purifier may have injected my home air with some piety.  I like to think I am ridding all evil particles out of my home when I press that nozzle.

I have made my AmbiPur Hawaiian Flowers feel home with my favorite teddies the Paddington bear from UK and Aenjubelle who accompanied me from my parents home. to this home that I make.  My boys don’t ever look at those teddies unless they want some bumps for their bikes.  It is a perfect spot for something I really need in my home.

The Brit looks affected by the Hawaiian blooms. He is struggling to hold back a grin. My long time confidante Aenjubelle whom I believe is part French is more excited about the can's soothing color.After all she is an artist.

For more on the magic fragrances visit the Aroma Land at AmbiPur.